"JTBC Hiring Refusal Leads to Minor Accident Report"... Kim Ung, Who Attempted Extortion Against Sohn Seok-hee, Sentenced to 6 Months in Prison

[Image source = Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] A freelance journalist who demanded a billion-won settlement and JTBC favors from Son Seok-hee, CEO of JTBC, by threatening to publicize a vehicle collision accident has been sentenced to prison.

According to the court on the 27th, the Supreme Court's 1st Division (Presiding Justice Kim Seon-su) recently upheld the original sentence of six months imprisonment in the appeal trial of Kim Woong, who was charged with attempted extortion.

Kim was prosecuted on charges of attempted extortion for demanding JTBC employment and 240 million won in money from CEO Son from August 2018 to January 2019, threatening to publicize the "2017 parking lot accident" and to sue for assault charges, but the attempt was unsuccessful.

Earlier, after receiving a tip that "CEO Son caused an accident in a parking lot," Kim contacted CEO Son in August 2018 and reportedly said, "The existence of Son Seok-hee is recognized in Korea as more than a celebrity, as a standard of morality and integrity, so it can be publicized."

At a meeting with CEO Son, Kim asked, "How does JTBC recruit?" and demanded to be hired by JTBC, mentioning the accident article about ten times. When CEO Son, who got involved in a dispute during this process, was booked on assault charges, Kim also demanded "240 million won as a settlement."

Freelance reporter Kim Woong, who was indicted on charges of demanding employment and money by threatening to report on past vehicle collision accidents involving Sohn Seok-hee, CEO of JTBC, appeared at a trial session held on the afternoon of May 27 at the Seoul Western District Court in Mapo-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Kim, who was prosecuted, claimed, "I was only trying to cover matters related to the morality of a public figure," but was sentenced to six months imprisonment in both the first and second trials.

The first trial court stated, "The defendant threatened the victim for months using the parking lot incident learned through rumors and his own assault case, seeking financial gain related to JTBC employment or 240 million won," and judged all charges guilty, saying, "Considering the circumstances and methods of the crime, the nature of the offense is not light."

It added, "The threats were made over a long period, and the victim suffered mental damage. Despite threatening the victim, the defendant, failing to get what he wanted, continued to mention unverified facts about the passenger on his YouTube channel, showing very bad post-crime behavior."

The appellate court also explained, "It seems he had no interest in fact-checking and, while recognizing the possibility that the circulating rumors were false, exploited the situation to harm the victim."

Kim admitted to sending messages to CEO Son in the first trial but denied the charges, claiming he had no intent of extortion or threats and never demanded money while mentioning the collision accident article. However, after the first appellate trial, he changed his stance, admitted all charges, and expressed remorse.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.